I want to be euthanized

Grandfather is 85. He's been in and out of the hospital for the better part of 6 months. It got so bad, I came back home from Central America 2 months ahead of schedule anticipating a funeral. Well, he has been to a rehab for a few days, back to the hospital, back to the rehab, and now, they have hospice.

My aunt expects my Dad to drive 5 hours round trip twice a week to care for my 85 year old grandfather. Honestly, with the market the way it is, he can't really afford it.

Keeping people breathing is big business, but it only causes additional pain and suffering for the patient and the family.

If I hit 75, don't try and save me. If I hit 80, put a bullet in my head. No way do I want to spend the last moments of my life incoherent and smelling of piss and shite while my family wastes all their money trying to "care" for me.

quote:If I hit 75, don't try and save me. If I hit 80, put a bullet in my head. No way do I want to spend the last moments of my life incoherent and smelling of piss and shite while my family wastes all their money trying to "care" for me.

I need all of your vital information so I can get the paperwork together to bring to my notary.

quote:If I hit 75, don't try and save me. If I hit 80, put a bullet in my head. No way do I want to spend the last moments of my life incoherent and smelling of piss and shite while my family wastes all their money trying to "care" for me.

And what about my great-grandmother who lived to be 96, was 100% coherent and healthy, active and happy?

quote:It's conceivable that by the time you are 80 it will be the new 60. Maybe even the new 50.

Oh, I completely agree. I hope that by the time I reach those days in my life, they have come up with some treatment to sustain life. I would like to live centuries, but working with the current state of medical technology. 80 seems like a good number to go with. It can be adjusted as medical technology improves.

quote:Pretty sure he was just using an arbitrary number. If I am not contributing to society or mentally "there", I don't want to be here.

Exactly. With the history of dementia on my father's side, it seems a good number. My Grandmother on my mother's side was 90. She was mentally there, but each day was a struggle for her. I know, I cared for her the last year of her life as I was out of work at the time and could only pick up part time stuff. Then, I worked from home so it fell on me.

I've just gone through this twice in the last few years, and it's starting up again. My parents don't need the stress, and if my Grandfather was coherent more than 15-percent of the time, I think he would feel the same way. If life is a burden, why prolong it?

I went home last weekend and saw my mother in a nursing home for the first time. She's 83 and is deep into alzheimer's. Dad is 89 and was her primary caregiver until June. He looked like death on a cracker when I was there in June, and we convinced him that both he and mom would be better off with her in a facility. He would be dead by now if she had stayed at home.

when i think about her in the abstract, i think that we ought to limit her medication and not try to prolong her life. Then when i see her face light up when she sees Dad and says "i'm so glad you came" she calls him Daddy. when i see that, i realize that they still have a loving relationship after 64 years, and they still each get something from it.

she had no idea who i was, and laughed when i told her i was her baby. she actually looked frightened when i started talking to her. after 30 minutes, i went out to the car for something. when i came back in, her face lit up and she was so happy to see me. you have to laugh to keep from crying.

quote:If I hit 75, don't try and save me. If I hit 80, put a bullet in my head. No way do I want to spend the last moments of my life incoherent and smelling of piss and shite while my family wastes all their money trying to "care" for me.

You selfish little shite. I would tell you to show compassion but its obvious thats beyond your scope.

This is the type of shite that is precisely wrong with this country. YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL ONE ASS....your own.

If your Dad can't do it. He won't ....Its not your call.

Remember this you insignificant pissant. Without you grand father you don't exist.

You honestly think anybody wants to burden their family? Nor do they want to die.

I was there for my Father, holding him up so he could be cleaned. I was their when he would allow no one else in the room out of embarrassment. I was there when he said" If you live long enough you become irrelevant to your children, and you hope not to become a burden" I was there to tell him until the end he was wrong

and now i am here telling you YOUR WRONG.

I hope as you mature you gain some perspective. The view going out is a helluva lot different that the one you have.